Foundational Persona and Shin Megami Tensei designer and director Kouji Okada has a new RPG called Villion:Code coming to PS4, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, and Steam on January 26, 2027. In a video interview with GamesRadar+, Okada reflects on his origins in RPG development, how Persona got started, and how it's all led him to Villion:Code.
"First, I'd like to explain how Persona came about," he begins. "Before that, I had worked on several RPGs in which an ordinary protagonist suddenly becomes caught up in a quest to save the world. Those stories certainly had their appeal, but after making games about saving the world several times, I was beginning to grow a little tired of it myself."
Okada's early work included, as a sample, 1987's Megami Tensei, 1992's Shin Megami Tensei, and 1996's Revelations: Persona (that is, Persona 1). Another key title was 1994's Shin Megami Tensei if..., which helped launch the Persona series to begin with through its retelling of Shin Megami Tensei series pillars. This late '80s, early '90s period certainly saw heaps of RPGs appoint unlikely heroes in epic quests globetrotting around fantasy worlds of varying flavors.
"I also wondered whether players might find one grand, epic setting after another somewhat overwhelming," Okada recalls. "I wanted to see whether they would enjoy an Okada game set within a smaller, more intimate world. , and the response from players was far more positive than we had anticipated.
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